Even a Hero
by Andipandi5
Summary: After a long and horrible experience, Danny has finally managed to escape the GiW. Shattered and scarred Danny is on the run and has no idea where to go. Can a certain group of heroes help him? (Rated T to be safe)
1. Prologue

Screaming, he could hear screaming. They sounded awful. They obviously needed help, he needed to snap out of it and go help them. Wait, was that him screaming? Oh yes, that was definitely him screaming. Snapped out of his temporary fog, Danny suddenly became aware of the pain. It flooded his mind, how could anything hurt this badly? What was happening?

Forcing his eyes open he took in what he could. Bright lights, restraints, masked faces, and blood, so much blood. Crimson red and unnatural green stained the sterile white. confusion and panic washed over him, blinding his common sense. His violent thrashing was not aiding him in any way. Frantically, words he couldn't make out were exchanged, hands came and pinned him down. The hands were everywhere, wearing white gloves, stained with his blood. They pushed against him holding down his arms and legs. He tried going intangible, his ecto blasts, his wail, ice powers, even invisibility, nothing worked. Fueled by untamed fear and adrenaline he continued his struggle against the hands, until one of them placed a mask over his face and he faded away into the empty, painless, darkness.

**Author's comments**

**So it begins. This is my first fanfic and the first time in a while that I've written anything at all, so I may be a bit rusty. Comments and critiques are welcomed! Please read and review. More coming soon! **


	2. Chapter 1

" Starfire! Now!"

Starfire soared closer to the giant robot currently smashing Minor street and released Cyborg from her hold. Cyborg, the half human, half robot landed unnoticed onto the robot's shoulder. A green pterodactyl flew circles around it's head, as a cloaked girl threw dark energy at it, effectively distracting the robot from it's passenger. Starfire screamed as the robot backhanded her and she fell toward the ground. A red motorcycle lept into the air and the driver caught the orange girl before the ground did. "Robin!" Starfire cheered, only to be cut short by the robot kicking them away. At the same time slapping the clocked girl out of the air and punching the green pterodactyl to the ground. Dazed out of his form the green shapeshifter fell to the ground.

"GOT IT!" Cyborg yelled, leaping from the robot as it powered down and began to fall toward the spot where the green kid lay, slightly stunned.

"Beastboy!" Robin shouted in warning.

"Wha-?" muttered the green kid, unaware of the danger.

A black figure came racing across the street, it grabbed Beastboy and threw the two of them out of the way just as the robot crashed into the street.

* * *

I looked up from where I was picking myself up off the pavement.

"Ugh," a voice groaned. Slowly pushing himself into a sitting position was a kid. He seemed about my age, he wore a black hoodie and had black, shaggy hair.

"Dude!" I shouted. The kid's head snapped up, and his striking blue eyes were filled with alarm. He leaned away from me, cringing. "You saved me! That was awesome!"

"N-n-no, I just ran into y-you. S-s-sorry about that."

I blinked, was this dude afraid? He looked like he was shaking. I got to my feet and leaned over him, offering my hand. "Hey, are you okay?" When he noticed my hand he jerked away violently.

"Woah, Woah," I said putting up my hands and slowly crouching so that our eyes were level.

"I'm not going to hurt you, are you okay?" Remembering his earlier reaction I didn't try to get closer. I then noticed the blood on his lips. "You're hurt!" I cried out.

His wide eyes locked onto mine and I could see that this guy wasn't just afraid, he was terrified. Like a cornered animal, he looked away, staring at the pavement instead.

"I-I-I'll be f-fine," he stuttered wiping blood the blood from his mouth, "Y-your f-friends are looking for you." With that he suddenly jumped to his feet and dashed away.

"Hey wait!" I called out racing a few steps after him, only to be caught up in a bone crushing hug.

"Beastboy! You are unharmed!"

"Starfire, that's not going to last much longer if you keep squeezing him like that," Raven pointed out.

"Haha! Opps," Starfire giggled as she dropped me.

I jumped to my feet as my friends crowded around me.

"Where did he go?! Did you guys see him?!" I transformed myself into a mongoose and scurried up Cyborg's head to look around.

"Hey!" Cyborg shouted, swatting at me.

I transformed into a hawk and shot up into the sky. I couldn't see my rescuer. I shot back down to earth, transformed into a bloodhound and began sniffing around.

"Where did who go BB?" Cyborg asked.

Found it! His scent! He went that way! Still a bloodhound, I took off in that direction.

"Beastboy!?" my friends called after me, but I didn't stop. Whoever that guy was, he needed help, and he didn't seem like the type of guy to who would try to find it himself.

After about three blocks, I ran around a corner and stopped dead in my tracks in the middle of an intersection. Huh? the trail just vanished. Frantically I sniffed around some more. Nothing! it was gone! Like he had just vanished.

"Beastboy! What is it?" Robin asked as my friends caught up to me. I changed out of the dog form and looked around frantically.

"There was this dude!" I told them helpfully as I picked a random direction and started walking quickly, looking in windows as I passed.

"What do you mean?" Starfire asked.

"He dragged me out of the way when the robot fell! He seemed like he was afraid of me! And he was hurt!"

"Afraid of Beastboy?" Raven asked confused.

"Maybe it was his smell," Cyborg joked.

"This is serious! He was coughing up blood! and he was terrified! No one should be that afraid! It wasn't even the robot he was afraid of! I think it was me!"

"Okay, we'll look for him, what did he look like?" Robin asked getting serious.

"He had a black hoodie, black hair, blue eyes, he was kinda dirty, and he might still have some blood on his face!"

"Alright. Titans go!" Robin commanded.

* * *

I leaned my head back and squeezed my eyes shut, trying to hold back the panic. My side felt like it was on fire. It had been a long while since I had received the injury, but it still hadn't healed yet. Though tearing it open several times probably had something to do with that. On the bright side the pain in my side almost made me forget the hunger pains, almost.

I was currently spending the night in a condemned apartment building on the far side of town. It was a nice place, a little drafty and dingy, but the best part was that there were no visitors. The stairwell had given out so even if people did come it would be difficult to get to the top floor where I was. It didn't have any furniture and the walls were filled with faded graffiti, not very homey, but for now it was my sanctuary.

Gingerly, I pulled my shirt up to examine my side. Finally, the bleeding had stopped. I sat up carefully, dug into my backpack and pulled out my small first aid kit. I opened it up and pulled out the bandages. It takes a lot of practice to be able to bandage your torso yourself. Even with all the experience I have, it still turns out sloppy. After I was done I laid my head back on my hoodie. Today had been crazy. I had caught more than just a glimpse of the Teen Titans. I had saved one of them. He even said something to me. I might have even said something back, I couldn't really remember.

I still had a really hard time around humans- I mean, people. Okay, a hard time was a bit of an understatement. I could barely keep a shred of my sanity when I was near a human- I mean a person. Maybe one day I will be able to carry on a normal conversation with someone again.

That strange green kids seemed… nice. Maybe even concerned. I really shouldn't have run away like that. He probably deserved better. I closed my eyes as a wave of regret washed over me. I hoped I hadn't, I dunno, freaked him out in any way.

* * *

"I'm sure he's fine Beastboy," Robin reassured me as we gathered in the living room of the Titan's Tower.

"Yes! I am certain the stranger is in good health!" Starfire said cheerfully.

"I don't know guys. I have the weirdest feeling that he needs our help. He reminded me of an abused animal."

"I don't think we should just let this go," Raven spoke up. "Beastboy said he seemed afraid of his own shadow. Yet he charged into a dangerous situation willingly. Something seems off."

"We've searched the city dozens of times. What else could we do?" Cyborg asked with a shrug.

"We'll just have to keep an eye out for him. If he's still in the city he'll show up eventually," Robin said uncertainly.

* * *

**Author's comments:**

** Sorry about the wait. I was having an argument with the computer and I'm still not really sure how this site works. But wow! Thanks for all the favorites, follows, and especially the reviews! I hope you all like the rest of the story as much as the prologue. The prologue was originally going to be the start of an another story but I loved it and wanted to use it as soon as possible! Also can you pretty much tell whose point of view it is or should I start labeling them like some people do? **

**I have another chapter or two pretty much ready but I'm at bit of a road block after that. **

**Thank you! Please read and review!**


	3. Chapter 2

(Danny's POV)

A few days had passed since the incident with the Titans and I hadn't been able to get them out of my mind. I wondered how they did it. No one ever accused them of ulterior motives, no one tried to blame them, or accused them of destroying the city. What was it that made what they did so different from what I had done? Was there something against me or had I just gone about it the wrong way?

I was lost in my thoughts and hadn't really been paying attention. Surprised, I found myself in the middle of a park. Glancing around nervously I found the only other people were an elderly couple strolling along and two kids tossing a football.

Come on Fenton! You can handle this. You've been in tougher situations and saved the day a thousand times. A little stroll near humans isn't going to be the end. Agh! I did it again! Darn it!

People, not humans. It's very important that I get this.

Right now I see everyone as human. Humans are cold, heartless monsters, like the ones who... hurt me. Humans attack what they don't understand. They cause destruction, inflict pain, and encourage scars. Humans are all the same. People are different. Not just from humans, but from each other. People have families and homes. People can be caring, they can be kind, they can learn, and give chances.

I know this. Or at least I think I do. Yet every time I meet one or come in contact with one, all I see is the human, and it terrifies me. I use to be a hero, a protector, a defender. I use to fight and win. Now if I just try to have a conversation with someone I fall to pieces. My mind goes blank with fear, my heart races, and every fiber of my body screams at me to run. I hate how what they did to me affected me so much. I hate how- "AHHH!"

A scream pierced my thoughts. I hesitated for just a split second. Should I do something? No one would do anything to me… right? What if they find me again? What if I get caught? What if- I stopped myself. None of that mattered now. What mattered was that maybe, someone needed me. With that in mind I took off toward the sound.

* * *

One moment Claire was sitting peacefully at a picnic table with her friends. The next she was hanging upside down in mid air. She twisted to find that she was in the grasp of a giant robot. It shot at the table she had just been sitting at, effectively causing her friends to scatter. It continued down the park as if it were just out on an afternoon walk. Immediately, Claire found the grip around her torso not so gentle and the swaying motion that accompanied the robot's walk began to make her nauseous.

"Hey! What are you doing! Put me down! Who do you think you are?! " Claire continued screeching, but the robot took no notice.

"Help! Someone help me! Oh where are the Titans when you need them?!"

A green blast suddenly came out of nowhere and shot into the metal hand. "Finally!" Claire cheered. All at once the robot was bombarded by green blasts. One shot through it's chest, another blasted it's head off completely, and finally one shot through the robot's hand, releasing Claire from it's grip. The ground rushed up to meet Claire, she squeezed her eyes shut and threw her arms over her head.

Instead of colliding with the awaiting concrete something wrapped around her and her descent seemed to pause for a moment before she completed her landing with whatever was around her cushioning the blow.

"AGHH! " a cry of pain came from underneath her. Slowly she opened her eyes and found that she was lying on top of a scrawny, raven haired kid, who was currently gasping for breath.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?" she asked as she scrambled off of him. In response the boy gave a shudder and spat blood onto the pavement.

"I'll- I'll be f-fine. Are you al-alright?" he asked her. When he looked up at her she noticed just how striking blue his eyes were.

" A little bruised but fine thanks to you. Can you get up alright?" she asked, gently offering her hand. He flinched away from her and shakily stood up on his own.

"Thank you for saving me!" Claire said tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a small blush gracing her face.

"N-no problem, don't mention it. "

What's your-"

"LOOK OUT!" Suddenly, he lunged at her and knocked her to the ground as a blast came whizzing past. A second robot emerged and began blasting them.

"Come on!" He yelled and pulled Claire to her feet

* * *

(Danny's POV)

What's with all the freaking robots in this city?! I pulled the blonde behind me, trying to ignore the pain in my side. Come on! I have to get this girl somewhere safe. Where the heck is that shooting coming from? Blasts were going off with the consistency of a firing machine gun.

Concentrating for a moment, I attempted to summon my ghost half. A dim light encircled my waist but was immediately snuffed out. Darn it! I was too weak! I put a hand to my side underneath my hoodie, and pulled it away to discover that it was damp with blood. Oh come on! Just once could I have a good day! My sight was now spotted with patches of black. I glanced back to see how the Titans were doing.

* * *

(Robin's POV)

"Now Robin?" Cyborg asked.

"Not yet!"

This robot was unlike the other one we had faced. Luckily, we had been prepared this time, Cyborg had created a device that, if placed in the right spot, would work to shut the robot down. With the rest of the my team distracting it, Raven was able to sneak onto the robot's shoulder. Working quickly, she placed the device onto the robot's neck.

"Alright Cyborg!" I called out as I threw some of my ice pellets at it's feet.

"It might take some time before it takes effect!" he shouted back as he pressed a button on his arm.

Suddenly the robot got more aggressive. It's eyes turned a deeper shade of red, and in one swift moment it slapped Raven, Starfire, and Beastboy out of the air, freed it's leg from the ice, and blasted Cyborg off his feet. In the next moment it had taken a hold of me and threw me into the air.

"Ahhh!" I skidded into the ground, getting a mouth full of dirt.

"Are you alright?" A girl with long blonde hair asked as she rushed towards me, a scrawny black haired kid, panting behind her. The girl yanked me to my feet as the boy hung behind.

"You two have to get out of here!" I shouted at them. I spun around to see blasts coming toward us. I grabbed the girl and used my body to shield her, but the blasts didn't hit us.

Confused, I shot my head up to find the boy standing over the girl and I. Breathing heavily, he had his hands in the air and his shoulders were shaking. Surrounding the three of us was a glowing green sphere. The robot came closer and closer, all while continuing to fire at us. Each one of the blasts hit the shield, but it didn't break through. When it reached us it stopped firing, raised it hands into the air and brought them down forcefully on the shield.

"UGH!" the boy shouted, sounding pained. I quickly helped the girl to her feet.

"Are you alright?" I asked him over the pounding.

"C-c-can't k-keep this up!" he gasped out.

"Alright, when I say drop the shield and jump back, got it?"

He nodded miserably. I waited for the perfect moment, just after the last blow and before the robot had raised it's arms all the way.

"Now!"

The shield disappeared and the kid threw himself out of the way, the robots hands buried themselves in the dirt and at the moment, I threw my ice caps at it, effectively freezing the robot's hands to the ground. Starfire then flew up and began firing her starbolts at it's head. Raven attacked with her magic, while Beastboy, as a pterodactyl, dropped Cyborg to the ground beside me and flew off to join the battle.

"Well?" I asked Cyborg as he typed something into his arm.

"Okay! That should do it! In three, two-"

The robot's eyes went dark and it slowly sank to the ground. I turned to the two teens.

"Are you guys alright?"

The girl nodded, wide eyed, while the boy didn't respond, he looked pale and was staring absently at the ground.

"Hey man, are you alright?" Cyborg asked, placing his hand on the kids shoulder. Startled, his head snapped up and he stumbled backwards, eyes wide with the look of a cornered animal.

'We are victorious!" Starfire announced coming over with Beastboy and Raven in tow. Her declaration scared the kid, he spun around beginning to tremble.

"You don't look so good," Raven told him.

"Hey! It's you! Guys! This is the guy I was talking about!" Beastboy said excitedly, "Why did you run off before?"

* * *

(Danny's POV)

Where did all these humans come from? Why were they talking to me? What did they want? They had surrounded me and were standing there, looking at me. I couldn't disappear with them all staring at me! I don't think I had enough energy to run away either. My heart was pounding as though it was trying to escape out of my chest, my breathing was increasing, and panic was the only thing my brain could register.

What do I do?! I should make up some excuse. I should try to slip away. I should handle this with some amount of grace and tact.

"I-I- I p-p-please. I'm -could you?" Terror tripped up my words as they spilled from my mouth. My knees felt weak. I sealed my trembling lips. Oh yeah Fenton, very tactful, oozing grace.

'Please friend, do not-" the orange girl started as she reached for me. Violently, I jumped away as I saw her and threw my hands over my head. Dimly, I heard a shocked gasp.

"Dude! You're hurt!"

I barely registered the words though the fog of fear, but something else did. Behind them the robot's eyes were blinking. I knew what that meant. Instantly, I threw up my hands, an action that was not well received by my side, and created a shield around the group of people. A split second later a blast shook the park. I was able to hold my shield for the first blast, but not the second. Fortunately, the girl in the blue cloak had created a shield to replace mine.

I dropped to my knees, I felt like I had been using my ghostly wail to sing one of Ember's songs. I felt more than just exhausted. I heard words and saw blurry outlines right before the darkness overtook me.

* * *

(Beastboy's POV)

One moment the dude was having a freak out and the next he had thrown up his hands, green light had poured out of them, creating a dome, and an explosion had rocked the earth. Everybody turned toward the blast, his shield blinked out and he fell. I caught him before he hit the ground. I could see that there was blood on his hands but I couldn't see where it was coming from.

"Who is he?" Robin asked the blonde girl standing with us.

"I don't know, I didn't even have time to ask his name."

Robin continued asking the girl questions, while Cyborg examined the kids solemnly and Starfire hovered anxiously. Raven knelt down and placed her hands gently on him and coated him in magic.

"Is he okay?" I asked at seeing the worry on her face.

"This isn't good. We need to get him to the tower, NOW."

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

**I wasn't going to post today. I thought this was my last sketched out chapter that I had currently. I was going to use labor day weekend as an excuse not to post, but I was going through my notes and discovered that I had one chapter more than I had thought! So here you go! I'm afraid that this will be the last action chapter for a while though. Also I don't think that the next chapter is very long, but it is important. After that though, I'm at a bit of a road block. Not sure what will happen next, but I'm excited to write it! **

**Thank you for every one who followed and Favorited this story! Special thanks to every one who commented! I love comments! I never realized how awesome they are until I started posting. I'm going to try harder to leave better comments on the stories that I love! **


	4. Chapter 3

(Danny's POV)

Groggily, I became aware of a dim light. I could feel the ever present pain, but there was something else too. Instead of a hard surface I was lying on something soft and comfy. Instead of being cold, I felt warm. Slowly, I opened my eyes. Huh, I was in a bed, a nice bed. There was a window with the blinds pulled down, a big monitor, a curtain dividing the room, an I.V- Suddenly I became fully aware as ice cold reality woke me up. I knew exactly where I was.

NO! Oh nononononononono! I shot up ignoring my swimming vision, tore the I.V. from my arm, and threw myself out of the bed."Augh!" My side felt like it was on fire and being crushed at the same time. It was hard to breathe, I just couldn't get the air to come in. My adrenaline fueled strength left me, like air leaking from a tire, and I sank fully to the ground moaning.

I heard a door open and several figures came to stand over me.

"No." I whispered as one of them reached for me. In the next moment I was lifted off the floor by a pair of metal arms and was deposited safely back into the bed. The gentleness of these actions left me stunned.

"You need to be more careful," a monotone voice stated. "You've opened it up." A pair of hands came toward me and I froze. They came to rest on my side and I flinched. Spreading through me came a feeling of relief. It was a bit painful too, but a good kind of pain, like how it feels when you finally pull a stubborn sliver from your hand. A weariness fell over me and I sunk fully into the pillow and stared emptily into their faces. One was green, one was part metal, one was orange, one was pale with a jewel on the forehead, and the last one was masked.

"Listen man, you can't just jerk around like that. You'll only worsen your condition," the metal man said as he examined a clipboard in his hand with a look of disapproval. I watched blankly as he turned to me and put the I.V. back into my arm. I took in my surroundings again. No, this was somewhere different. The walls were gray, not white. I looked down at myself, I was wearing a soft gray, v-neck t-shirt and gray pants. I also noticed I was still in human form.

"So...What's your name?"

* * *

(Robin's POV)

In response to Beastboy's question the kid snapped out of his brief daze and cowered where he lay. Trembling, he curled into himself, as if he was trying to disappear.

"My name's Beastboy," BB said cheerfully as he slowly moved closer to the bed. "That's Starfire, Raven, Cyborg, and Robin. We're the Titans! You really helped us out back there!"

The boy's eyes shot frantically around the room, he was searching for an escape I realized.

"Who are you?" I asked stepping forward, an action which seemed to terrify him. Wide eyes full of fear looked up at me.

"P-p-please, l-let me… g-go," the kid begged desperately in a whisper. I paused, he thought we were locking him up? For goodness sake! He was in our infirmary, not jail. Had he done something? Maybe he was just paranoid. He began trying to push himself up off the bed, only for Cyborg to gently push him down.

"Hey, you're hurt pretty badly. You shouldn't be moving around. Try to stay still." In response to Cyborg's warning the kid jerked violently away from him, only to freeze and let out a pained gasp. Stiffly, he sank down into the bed, seemingly accepting defeat, his eyes dulling slightly.

"What do you want?" he rasped out quietly.

"You're in serious condition" I tried to explain, " We only want to help you." What did he think we wanted?

"W-why?"

"Because it's what we do," Raven answered.

"Can you tell us your name?" I asked as gently as I could. He turned to me with a cornered look on his face, he didn't answer and his trembling worsened.

"You do know your name, don't you?" Raven asked carefully. The kid paused, then gave a short nod, but didn't say anything.

Why would he be hesitant to give us his name? What's with this guy? Does he have a story like Terra's? Where he's on the run and at odds with his powers?

"How can we contact your family? Where do you live?" Cyborg asked, concern written on his face.

"N-n-no where," the kid said quickly.

"You do not have a home?" Star asked worriedly. He shook his head, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

Homeless? Why? and for how long? It's obvious this kid was terrified. Had he been abused and ran away? We had seen the scars on his body, underneath his shirt. There was something strange about them and I just couldn't put my finger on what it was.

Large scars were criss crossed over his back, neck, and arms. But the worse of them were on his chest. Something or someone did a real number on the poor guy. A fierce protectiveness came over me. Who would do that to someone? I placed my hand firmly, but gently on his shoulder and looked him in the eye. I could feel his trembling and his muscles tensed under my hand, but he slowly raised his eyes to mine.

"It's okay. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe here. Let us help you."

* * *

(Danny's POV)

Could I trust them? When was the last time I trusted someone? I've heard of the Titans before and I knew a bit about them. They were different, maybe they could accept me. What other choice did I have? If I go back to Amity they would find me. I had a lot of enemies in the Ghost Zone. Vlad would never help me without something to gain. Besides, that would just put him in danger, the same went for any of my ghostly allies. Danny Fenton was considered missing, maybe even dead. If I showed up any time near when Phantom did, that would endanger my secret, if they hadn't already figured it out. My family and friends would be in danger if I came back, and I couldn't take that chance. I couldn't take care of myself like this either. Dying on the streets didn't sound appealing at all. I'll take a chance I decided. Before I could second guess myself I rushed ahead.

"I-I'm Danny."

"Nice to meet you Danny," Robin said.

"Oh Glorious, a new friend!" Starfire cheered.

"Welcome to Titan's Tower," Cyborg said with a smile.

* * *

(Raven's POV)

There was something about this kid. Okay, there was a lot about this kid. I could feel fear pouring off of him in powerful waves. Fear seemed like too simple a word to describe the emotion he radiated. Petrified, frightened, and scared all seem to passive as well.

There was something else though. Loneliness, and a need to be accepted. He was scared and scarred and yet he simply wanted friends. That was something I could understand.

* * *

**Author's Comments  
**

**Oh wow, thank you guys so much for all the feed back! I love hearing from you guys! Anyway here's a little chapter for you all. I'm pretty proud of myself for being able to get it up before I leave for the weekend.  
**

**So little announcement. There may be a short hiatus. For two reasons. #2 Being writers block. I need a few more chapters between this and another part I have in my mind and I'm a bit stuck. But I believe I have half of the next chapter sketched up! So this might not be a big deal.  
**

**#1 This one's a little farther away but I wanted to warn you just in case writer's block delays me. My grandma is having surgery at the end of the month and I'll be staying with her after her surgery. I have no idea how long that will be. I believe she's had this surgery on her other knee and I heard it was only for a week but it may be longer. **

**Well I have to go pack now. Also I need to memorize some lines. Guess who's playing Dorothy (Wizard of Oz) in a skit this Sunday! It's for the kids at my church. The pre-k director's going to be a flying monkey, it's going to be awesome.**


	5. Chapter 4

(Danny's POV)

It had been a few hours and after checking on me the Titans had left me alone. Somehow, I had managed to calm myself down considerably. At least I was no longer shaking. I looked down at my gray clothes again. I missed my hoodie, I wonder what they did with it. My thoughts began to wander.

Did the Titans really only want to help me? Why would they do that? '_Because it's what we do.' _They save the city all the time. They've even saved the world once or twice. But taking in a homeless kid is something completely different than all that.

A soft knock startled me out of my thoughts. I stiffened instantly and a green head poked in.

"Are you hungry?"

Beastboy then strolled in and before I could react, unceremoniously plopped a tray in my lap. I looked down then up at Beastboy.

"It's chicken noodle soup," he said cheerfully, "eat up!"

Golden liquid with fat chunks of chicken, carrots, and long flat noodles bobbed around it's steaming surface. It smelled delicious, but my stomach tightened, I was way too nervous to eat. Especially since I had an audience.

"Come on, eat up! Raven made it special! just for you!" Beastboy announced with a goofy grin on his face. Trembling slightly I picked up the spoon and took a small sip. Beastboy's grin widened. "Personally I'm a vegetarian but Raven insisted that you needed soup over my tofu surprise. You're lucky though, Starfire wanted to give you mustard covered, blueberry and anchovy waffles." He continued to blab on with a big grin on his face. He dragged a stool over to my bed, hopped on, and pulled his feet up so that he sat cross legged. All while still talking. He eagerly leaned into his words, and occasionally used hand gestures and bizarre facial expressions. What a funny guy.

"So what kind of things do you like?" He looked at me expectantly.

Blindsided by the sudden question, I broke my gaze away from him and stared at my now cold soup. Stalling for time, I took another sip of soup. Because of my anxiety it was tasteless.

There was an empty silence. Which I found uncomfortable, but Beastboy just continued to look at me with hopeful eyes. It was just a simple question but it sent me whirling. I set the spoon into the bowl and stared at my lap. What did I like? What did I use to like? I didn't want to answer the question, or talk at all really. Would he be angry if I didn't answer? What would he do? I could just make up an answer. Would I be able to string the words together correctly? Wait, I didn't like lying. Would lying be better than not having an answer at all? My anxiety skyrocketed. So instead of saying anything I just shrugged.

I snuck a glance at Beastboy. He still had a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Well I like video games- all kinds, tofu, pizza, mopeds, music, and movies. Robin and Cyborg also play video games, but the girls don't. There's a pizza place in town that serves the best pizza! We go there all the time! Every now and then we have a movie night, though sometimes Raven just reads instead of watching."

I relaxed, apparently if I wasn't going to talk this guy would do all the talking. Which was okay with me. I took an occasional sip of soup while Beastboy chattered on and on.

Abruptly, I noticed my soup was gone, and so did Beastboy. He leaned over and picked up the tray.

"Well I should probably let you rest. Do you need anything?

Automatically, I shook my head and avoided his eyes.

"Alright just let me know if you need anything!" With that Beastboy disappeared behind the doors.

What a strange guy.

* * *

(Beastboy's POV)

I entered the kitchen where the other Titans were and placed the tray on the counter.

"So how'd it go?" Cyborg asked, leaning against the counter with a soda in hand.

"Better than I thought it would. He was still really scared though."

"Please Beastboy, what did friend Danny say?" Star rushed up and asked, with her hands clasped and eyes hopeful.

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

"Poor guy, I wonder what happened to him," Cyborg said sadly. "How does anyone get that skinny and have so many scars? It's amazing the dude is still alive."

"That's something I want to ask him about," Robin's voice was laced with concern and worry was written on his face.

'You should hold off on that," Raven advised. "He is terrified of everything and I don't think questions will help. He's not relaxed or comfortable at all. I don't think he has been in a long time."

"What Raven said," I interjected, " When I asked him one question he tensed up and shut down. I thought he was just going to sit there playing statue all night."

"Then what should we do?" Star asked worriedly.

"We'll do whatever we can to help him." Robin said seriously. "I'm just not sure exactly what that is."

* * *

(Beastboy's POV)

I jolted out of bed and fell from the top of my bunk and onto the floor with a solid thud. My heart was racing and adrenaline rushed through my veins.

"AHHH!"

Again, the heart wrenching scream pierced through the darkness. Danny! Panicked with worry, I leapt to my feet, raced through my door, and tore through the hallway. As I ran Raven joined me and flew beside me.

"What's happening?!" I shouted as we sped through the tower.

"No idea!"

We reached the infirmary and crashed through the doorway. Raven quickly turned on the lights to reveal that Danny's bed was empty. I rushed over to it and followed the trail of twisted sheets to the other side. There, on the floor, lay Danny with one foot tangled in the sheets. He was shouting and madly thrashing around.

"No! No please! Stop! ARGHH!"

I rushed to his side, "Danny wake up!" I placed my hand on his shoulder, only for him to jerk away and scream out louder.

"STOP! LEAVE ME ALONE!" He began thrashing around even more violently than before, banging his leg against the bed. Man, that could not be good for his wounds. Raven came beside me and forcefully put her hands on Danny, her magic rushing over him. It only lasted a few seconds before unconscious Danny managed to brake loose. He was covered in sweat, he was even more pale than before, and his breathing was rapid and uneven.

"We need to wake him up before he hurts himself!" Raven said, panic leaking into her voice.

The rest of the Titans then rushed into the room.

"What's going on!?" Robin demanded, already armed with with his staff.

"It's Danny! He's freaking out and won't wake up!" I was honestly frightened. Danny's screams scared me in a way that nothing else ever had.

* * *

(Raven's POV)

"He's going to hurt himself!" I told them, "We need to stop him."

The fear and pain was so raw. It was like a torn up, bloody, open wound. Only mental, not physical. When I had touched him with my magic I had seen a piece of his dream. However, the only thing I had seen was just a color, white. It didn't make any sense to me. Danny let out another heart wrenching scream and tears ran down his face as he thrashed.

Starfire floated above him, while Cyborg and Robin came up on either side of Danny. They each took an arm and held him down. Danny let out another scream, and then another. You could hear the damage it was doing to his vocal cords. I put my hands on him and let the magic spill over him, but it wasn't effective. I couldn't get through to him! This time there was something in the way, a wall blocking me off from him. Danny kept screaming and Cyborg and Robin were struggling to hold him down. Touching him just seemed to make it worse. I tried again, this time using the magic more forcefully. Only to hit the same mental block. He let out another scream.

"NO MORE! PLEASE STOP!"

I had no idea what to do, it wasn't working and only seemed to agitate him further, so I stopped the flow of magic and remove my hands. Becoming a bit panicked, I moved back away from Danny and looked at the other Titans. They too, seemed at a lost on what to do. Suddenly Beastboy shot forward and did something I would have never expected him to do.

He slapped Danny hard across his face. It surprised me, it looked as if Beastboy was shocked by his action too. Yet it had the desired effect. Danny's eyes snapped open and he stopped his screaming and struggling and went limp in Cyborg and Robin's grip. They gently let go of him and he kicked himself up and away from us, so that his back slammed against the wall. He was shaking heavily and couldn't seem to get his breathing under control. The mental wall that was there seemed to slip a bit and I could once again sense his emotions. He was confused, disoriented, and very scared. After a moment, he looked up at us with wide eyes.

"W-w-what?" he rasped out in a whisper.

There was a long, heavy pause before Starfire floated slowly and carefully forward, respectfully keeping her distance. "You were screaming in your sleep," she explained softly, the tears in her eyes threatening to spill over.

* * *

(Danny's POV)

I don't remember what the dream was about. If I thought hard enough I could probably recall it. I only remember being jolted awake, in pain, not being able to breathe, on the floor, with the Titans staring at me with shock written on their faces.

Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded at them. I tried to get my breathing back under control, but it was hard to do through the pain. Robin stepped forward and offered me his hand. I couldn't help it, I leaned away shaking my head quickly. An action which caused me to see faint stars. As a compromise Raven created a black sphere from beneath me, which carefully lifted me off the ground and back into the bed. They stood there watching me with concern as my breathing evened out.

I glanced away and hung my head. They shouldn't have to deal with this. A broken, blood excuse that was me. It wasn't fair. I was just a burden and they don't deserve to be troubled by me.

"Are you alright?" Starfire asked me gently as she replaced my pillow on my bed.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled.

"It's no big deal," Beastboy reassured me. He quietly grabbed the blankets off the floor, and with Starfire's help, began untangling them.

There were stabbing pains everywhere and I was having a hard time focusing on anything. My vision just wouldn't cooperate. There seemed to be a pressure that was trying to crush my chest. Overall it felt as though I had gone through a meat grinder. It hurt to the point where I wasn't sure that I would be able to stay conscious.

Raven came up beside me. She lifted her hands slowly, showing me her open palms. "I need to make sure you're okay. Alright?"

Disoriented, I stared at her a moment before realizing that she was asking my permission. I nodded slightly and tried hard to hold still, but I couldn't help the flinch when Raven put her hands on me. Her magic tingled as it flowed over me and eased a bit of the pain. Everyone's attention was on me and there was a heavy silence. Frowning, Raven very carefully pulled up my shirt to examine the bandages around my chest. An action caused me to start trembling even harder.

"I need to change your bandages," she said looking me in the eye. "It will only take a moment. Alright?"

I nodded and closed my eyes as she went about changing my bandages and cleaning my chest. I didn't want to see my bleeding chest again. After she was done I open my eyes. Raven bent and picked up the IV and began preparing a new one. I watched as she pulled out a needle and set it down. As she did, it was as though I was watching her in slow motion, and images from my nightmare awoke in my mind and flashed before my eyes.

Needles, surgical masks, white lights, and stained gloves. Raven turned to me with the needle in her hand. Panicking, I shook my head and brought me knees to my chest.

"No! P-please don't! I-I-I, not- can't!" I began trembling and started coughing horribly. I couldn't seem to breathe, but I couldn't stop coughing either. My throated hurt terribly.

"Hey, it's okay," Robin said softly. He moved to the counter, took a nearby cup and filled it with water from a pitcher and came to stand next to me. "Drink this."

With shaky hands I took the cup and drank it in one go. I hadn't realized how thirsty I was and the cool liquid felt good on my aching throat.

"Better?" Robin asked.

I nodded and tried again. "I-I-I p-p-please," I paused and took a deep breath, "no n-needles." Embarrassed, I shook my head and examined my toes. I must be a real pain.

Raven paused in what she was doing, " Alright no needles." She then took my cup, refilled it and handed me a couple of pills. "Take these though."

Hesitantly, I took them from her and did as she asked. "I'm sorry," I whispered again.

"It's okay," Raven told me softly. "Do you need anything?"

I shook my head, keeping my gaze lowered.

"Are you going to be alright?" Robin asked. I could practically feel his eyes examining me.

I nodded, although I didn't think that I would ever really be alright ever again. Glancing up, I saw that they were all just standing there watching me awkwardly with sad expressions. Ashamed that I was the one who put those looks there, I hung my head. How long were they going to stand there?

As if reading my thoughts, Raven announced stiffly, "Well, I think we should let Danny rest."

"Are you certain you will be alright?" Starfire asked.

I hesitated before nodding again. I'd be alright as I could be, considering. Slowly the Titans filtered out of the room, and with one last look Beastboy let the door close behind him. I buried my head into my knees, wrapping my arms around them, and took a shuddering breath. Images flooded my head. My arms strapped to a table, a bloodstained knife, and white, gloved hands. I couldn't help the sob that escaped from my chest. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was my life.

I took several deep shuddering breaths. No. It had been my life. Never again would it ever be my life. Never again would I be strapped down and experimented on… Or at least I hoped not.

A bit calmer now, I realized that I was still thirsty. I took my cup off the bedside table and very carefully and unsteadily, got to my feet. I swayed a bit, but with a lot of panting and a bit of sweat, I somehow managed to get to the other side of the room where the pitcher was. I found that it was made of glass and rather heavy. I struggled to pick it up.

The door opened and startled me. I lost my grip on the pitcher and it shattered, creating a sharp, wet, glittery mess on the floor. Guiltily, and trembling again, I turned to the door, where Beastboy stood, cringing.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry." I was honestly frightened of what his reaction be. If I had done something like that back then, they would've- Well, it wouldn't have been pleasant. "I-I-I d-didn't m-mean to."

"It's okay," Beastboy said quickly, "It's my fault, I should have knocked. Here, I'll clean up, you get back into bed."

I carefully stepped around the pieces of glass and crawled onto the bed. I tried to do it carefully, but each action sent shooting pain through my body. I watched as Beastboy cleaned up my mess. How pathetic. Danny Phantom, Savior of the Ghost Zone, Hero of Amity Park, unable to pour himself a glass of water. Beastboy swept the wet glass up and then left the room with it. A moment later there was a knock at the door. I looked up and Beastboy poked his head in, he gave me a goofy smile before walking in and handing me a cup of water. I accepted it and took a sip.

"DUDE!"

I jumped and splashed a bit of the water on myself. I looked up at him shakily.

"You're bleeding! Hold on! I'll fix you right up!"

Confused, I looked down at myself, and Beastboy began frantically rifling through drawers. At first I didn't see anything. Then, after looking over myself again, I noticed a thin, almost nonexistent, scratch on my foot. And the blood he was freaking over was barely a drop. Just a red line that ran from my big toe up my foot about half an inch. Beastboy leapt up onto my bed, causing it to shake, with a roll of bandages and medical tape in his hands.

"Okay! Umm… hold still." I flinched as he grabbed my foot and began carefully wrapping thick, fluffy bandages around it. "Oh wait!" he cried smacking his forehead with his palm." You have to clean it first!" He then gently and slowly pulled the bandages off my foot, only to shoot off the bed a moment later.

He rushed across the room, tripping over himself in his haste, and then slammed open a cupboard and began pulling things out and dropping them to the floor or putting them on the counter. "Just a second! I know they're around here somewhere!" As he said this a box from the top shelf tipped, and spilled bandages over his head and the box fell to the floor with a hollow thunk. White strips were now hanging over his face, but he ignored this as he wrestled open a container.

"Got it!" He announced, happily holding up a small square. He then jumped back onto my bed, shaking it again, and tore open the square to reveal a small disinfectant wipe. He then paused and looked up at me. "This might sting a bit," he told me with a very serious look on his face.

He then carefully dabbed the wipe onto my scratch, and then dabbed it again, and then again. Before starting the process of wrapping the bandage around my foot all over again. He was leaned over and was staring intently as he bandaged my foot, forehead creased.

"Okay there! Finished!" He stood back to admire his handiwork with a ridiculous grin. He then sobered as he turned to me. Looking hopeful he asked me with wide eyes, "Do you feel better?"

"Uh...s-sure," I replied confused, but kind of amused.

"Awesome!" He cheered then flopped onto the neighboring bed. "Man! Doctoring people is hard! I think I'll just rest here. Goodnight Danny!" He then turned his back to me and seemed to immediately fall asleep. Puzzled, I stared at his sleeping form. Then it hit me.

It had all been an act! He had been trying to cheer me up and make me forget about my nightmare. And it had worked! I was much more relaxed and no longer shaking. I glanced around the room, it had suffered a bit on my behalf. The floor and counters had bandages and medical supplies spilled acrossed it. I felt myself smile. It was a small smile, just a slight curling of the corners of my lips, but a smile nonetheless. Something I hadn't done in a long time. I let out a short raspy laugh. something else I hadn't done in a while.

"Goodnight Beastboy."

I then grabbed a blanket, curled up on the bed, and slowly drifted to sleep.

* * *

**Author's comments:**

**I kept writing and adding things! Which at 1am, may not always produce the best results, but here it is! Thank you to everyone who favorited, followed, and commented! I love your comments keep them coming!  
**

**Special thanks to Gentle-Valera-Fox for helping me brainstorm! Thank you so much! **

**I still don't know what I'm going to do for the next few chapters so if you have any suggestions or ideas I would love to hear them! Even if I don't use them they spark some great ideas. **


End file.
